


The Last of Us

by UnchartedFreaks



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-22 06:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3718645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnchartedFreaks/pseuds/UnchartedFreaks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know the story of The Last of Us but what if Joel had another daughter? One who survived the first night and joined her father on this fateful trip. I do not own The Last of Us or any of its characters! Maybe be changed to M later/</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue-Hometown Part One

My eyes slowly opened as I noticed the lamp was on. I looked around to see I had fallen asleep in Sarah's arms on the couch.

"We'll talk about it in the morning." Dad said over the phone as we yawned.

"Alright. Goodnight." he said as we slowly sat up.

"Hey." we greeted him as he threw down his keys before waving a hand.

"Scoot." he told us as we did so.

"Fun day at work, huh?" Sarah asked as we noticed how he sat back and rubbed his eye.

He gave us a brief look before putting his elbow on the arm of the couch, resting his head on his hand.

"What are you two still doing up? It's late." he said as Sarah and I looked at each other, panicked.

"Oh crud. What time is it?" I asked as we put a a hand on the couch and looked up at the big clock.

"It's way past your bedtimes." Dad told us as we grinned.

"But it's still today." Sarah said as we got off of the couch and went to the corner of it.

"Girls, please not right now. I do not have the energy for this." Dad said, exhausted.

Sarah grabbed the small box as she handed it to him.

"Here. It's from Lilly and I." she said as he took it.

"What's this?" he asked as we plopped back down on the couch.

"Your birthday." we said as we waited in anticipation.

He slowly opened it as he stared at it for a moment.

"You kept complaining about your broken watch... So we figured, you know." Sarah said as I nodded while Dad put his new watch on.

"You like it?" I asked as Sarah and I both looked at Dad, eagerly waiting for his response.

"Girls, this is..." he said as he started tapping it and putting his wrist up to his ear.

"What?" I asked as we were getting concerned.

"It's nice, but I-...I think it's stuck. It's not..." he told us as we bent over towards him.

"What? No, no, no, no." Sarah said as we spotted the watch was working just fine.

"Oh, ha, ha." she said as she laid back down.

"Very funny, Daddy." I added as I laid down next to Sarah while we watched T.V.

"Where did you two get the money for this?" he asked as Sarah winked at me.

"Drugs. We sell hardcore drugs." she said as I giggled.

"Oh, good." Dad said as he picked up the remote.

"You can start helping out with the mortgage then." he told us as Sarah scoffed.

"Stsh - yeah, you wish." she said as I was confused.

"What's a mortgage?" I asked as Sarah laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Lilly." she said as we continued to watch T.V until I found myself dozing off again.

I was half-way asleep when I felt someone move Sarah. My eyes opened slightly as I saw Dad had picked her up and put her on one of his shoulders.

"Daddy?" I asked sleepily as I rubbed my eyes.

"C'mon, sweetheart." he told me as he picked me up and put me on his other shoulder.

He carried upstairs and into the room Sarah and I shared as he gently laid us down on the bed before moving a piece of Sarah's hair out of her face.

"Goodnight, baby girl." he said, calling her by the nickname he gave her.

He looked at me, patting my head.

"Goodnight, Lil bit." he told me as I smiled.

"Goodnight, Daddy." I told him as he left the room and I fell asleep once again.


	2. Prologue- Hometown Part Two

I stirred in my sleep as I thought I heard the phone in the bedroom ringing.

"Hello?" Sarah's voice said as I sat up in bed.

I heard a voice on the other side of the line but I couldn't make out what it was saying.

"Uncle Tommy, what time is it?" Sarah asked as I watched her on the phone.

"Uncle Tommy? Hello?" she asked as she hung up and placed the phone back.

She got up off of the bed as she looked around.

"What was that all about?" she asked herself as I climbed out of the bed and grabbed the phone.

It made a noise as I put it back and looked at my sister.

"Phone's dead, sis." I said as she nodded.

"I know. That was Uncle Tommy who called a minute ago. He was wanting to talk to dad." she told me as I looked at her.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Not quite sure. He sounded upset." she told me as I was confused.

What was going on around here?

I walked over to the dresser before sighing.

"Dang it! Sar, we forgot to give this to Dad!" I told her, holding up the card.

"Shucks! We'll give it to him later." she said as I nodded.

"Okie dokie!" I told her, placing the card back on the dresser.

"C'mon, let's go find Dad." she said as she opened our bedroom door and we walked out to the dark hallway.

"Dad?" we called out but got no answer.

"Sar, I'm scared." I told her as she grabbed my hand.

"It's alright, Lilly. You're safe with me."she said as I held onto her hand.

"O-Okay." I told her as she opened the bathroom door.

I picked up the newspaper and started reading over it.

"Lilly, put that down. You know how Dad is about us reading that stuff." Sarah scolded lightly as I put it back down.

"Sorry." I said as we left the bathroom before continuing down the hall.

"Daddy?" I asked again but got silence in return.

"His TV's on. He might be in his room." Sarah said as I nodded.

"Yeah." I agreed as she led me down the hall.

"You in here?" we asked as we opened the door.

"It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic." a newswoman said as Sarah looked around.

"Where the heck are you?" Sarah asked as my eyes were glued to the TV.

"Sarah, look at this." I said, gently pulling her to the TV.

"We've received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggression and-" she said as Sarah looked at me then back to the TV.

"That's nearby." she said as we continued to watch the newscast.

"We need to move everybody out of here now. There's a gas leak." a man in the background said to a small group of other men.

They started telling the newswoman to get out of there as there suddenly was a big explosion and the feed was cut off.

"Uh...what was that?" Sarah asked as I shook my head.

"I-I don't know, but I don't like it." I told her as I saw another small explosion from the window and the dogs started barking along with the faint sound of sirens.

"Oh God." Sarah and I both said as her grip tightened.

"Dad?" we asked, panic seeping into our voices.

"C'mon, Lillian." she told me as we quickly left the room and back into the hallway.

We quietly went down the stairs as I looked around.

"What is goin' on?" I asked softly as we reached the bottom.

I looked out of the window to see three cop cars rush by, lights on and sirens going.

We walked into the kitchen as I heard a phone buzzing.

"There's his phone." Sarah said as we walked over to it and Sarah picked it up.

"Eight missed calls." she said as I tried to see the phone.

"Where the hell are you? Call me. On my way." she said, reading the messages.

"All from Uncle Tommy." I said as she nodded, putting the phone back down.

I walked over to the fridge before reading the note Dad had left us earlier.

"Where is he?" I asked, grabbing Sarah's hand again.

"Don't worry. We'll find him." she told me as I nodded.

"Right." I said as we walked past the glass door that led outside.

Should we go outside?

We walked into the den just as Dad ran in and shut the glass door.

I noticed he was breathing heavily and looked panicked.

"There you are." Sarah said as he looked at us.

"Sarah. Lillian." he said as he rushed over to his desk.

"Are you two okay?" he asked, opening a drawer.

"Yeah." we responded, getting kinda nervous.

"Has anyone come in here?" he asked, taking out a smaller box.

"No. W-Who would come in here?" I asked as Sarah and I looked at him, getting scared.

I walked towards the door as Dad was loading a gun.

"Don't get near the doors. Just...just stand back there.." he told me as I retreated back to Sarah's side and she kept me close.

"Dad, you're kinda freaking us out." Sarah said as I nodded.

"Uh huh." I added.

"What's going on?" we asked him, concerned.

"It's the Coopers." he said lowly as I looked at Sarah.

"Something ain't right with 'em. I think they're sick." he told us as Sarah looked skeptical.

"What kinda sick?" she asked as I looked out of the door just as someone ran into it and I screamed.

"Jesus." Dad said as Sarah pulled me back.

"Jimmy!" he shouted as we couldn't stop looking at him.

"Dad?" we asked as he looked at us.

"Girls? C'mere. C'mere." he said as he got in front of us and we hid behind him.

Jimmy continued to try and break through the glass as Sarah looked at me. "It's okay..." she whispered to me as Dad continued to protect us.

"Jimmy." Dad said as he broke through and we gasped.

"Jimmy, just stay back." Dad said, but Jimmy just growled in response.

He looked at us as Dad backed us up.

"Jimmy, I am warning you." he said but he didn't seem to listen.

"Oh my God..." Sarah said as he ran at us.

"Don't!" Dad yelled as he shot Jimmy and he fell over.

"Go. Go." Dad said softly as I was close to crying while he pulled us into the kitchen and near the glass door.

"You shot him." we said shakily as he put his hands on our shoulders.

"Sarah. Lillian." he said as we continued to stare at him.

"We saw him this mornin'." I said as he looked at us, shaking us lightly.

"Listen to me, there is something bad going on. We've got to get out of here. Do you two understand me?" Dad asked as we nodded.

"Yeah." we said as Dad nodded.

I then spotted headlights coming from the window.

"Tommy. C'mon." he said, gently grabbing our arms.

"Okay." we said as we basically ran to the door and went outside.

"Where the hell you been? You have any idea what's goin' on out there?" Uncle Tommy asked as Dad pulled us to the car.

"I got some notion." Dad said as he opened the back door.

"C'mon, girls. Get on in there." he said as he put us in the SUV.

"Holy shit. You got blood all over you." Uncle Tommy told Dad as he shut the door.

"It ain't mine. Let's just get outta here." Dad said as he opened the passenger door and Uncle Tommy ran to the driver's side.

"They're saying half of the people in the city have lost their minds." Uncle Tommy said as they got in the car.

"Can we just please go?" Dad asked as they shut the doors.

"Some sort of parasite or somethin'. You gonna tell me what happened?" Uncle Tommy asked as he put the key in the ignition.

"Later." Dad said simply as he backed up.

"Hey, Sarah, Lilly. How you two holdin' up, girls?" he asked as Sarah held me close.

"We're fine." Sarah spoke for us as I nodded slightly and we pulled out of the driveway.

"Can we hear what's on the radio?" I asked softly as Uncle Tommy nodded.

"Yeah, sure thing." he said as I nodded.

"Thanks." I told him.

He switched through the stations but nothing played.

"No cellphone. No radio. Yeah, we're doin' great." Uncle Tommy said as Sarah and I continued to look out the windows.


	3. Prologue- Hometown Part Three

"Minute ago, newsman wouldn't shut up." Uncle Tommy commented as he drove down the road.

"They say where to go?" Dad asked as we all waited for an answer.

"He said, ah...Army's putting up roadblocks on the highway. No gettin' into Travis County." Uncle Tommy said as I looked as we reached a lot of signs.

"That means we need to get the hell out. Take 71." Dad told Uncle Tommy as he nodded.

"71. That's where I'm headed." he said as he allowed the cops to pass before turning right.

"They say how many are dead?" Sarah asked as I held my breath.

"Probably a lot. Found this one family all mangled inside their house." Uncle Tommy said as my eyes went wide and I looked at Sarah who was giving me the same expression.

"Tommy." Dad warned as he went silent.

"Right. Sorry." he said as we saw a car had ran into a pole.

Jesus Christ, how did this happen?" Dad asked as we continued to look around while Uncle Tommy drove us down an old and bumpy road.

"They got no clue." Uncle Tommy answered.

"But we ain't the only town. At first they were saying it was just the South. Now they're going on about the East Coast, the West Coast..." Uncle Tommy said as we came across a burning farmstead.

"Holy hell..." Uncle Tommy said as we started passing it by.

"That's Louis's farm. Hope that son of a bitch made it out." Uncle Tommy said as we got passed it.

"I'm sure he did." Dad commented as we started up a small hill.

"Are we sick?" I asked suddenly as Dad looked at me.

"No. No, of course not." Dad said as Sarah looked at him.

"How do you know?" she asked as Uncle Tommy glanced at us.

"They said it's just, ah, people in the city. We're good." Uncle Tommy said as we turned right again.

"Didn't Jimmy work in the city?" Sarah and I asked as we put our hand on the back of their seats, leaning forward.

"That's right. He did." Dad confirmed with a slight nod.

"We're fine. Trust me." Uncle Tommy said as we nodded.

"Alright." we said as I spotted a family walking alongside the road and Uncle Tommy started slowing the car down.

"Let's see what they need." he said as Dad gave him a look.

"What the hell do you think your doin'? Keep drivin'." Dad told him as Uncle Tommy looked at him.

"They gotta kid, Joel." Uncle Tommy all but exclaimed.

"So do we. In fact, we have two." Dad growled slightly as we got closer.

"But we have room." Sarah said as the man started waving his arms.

"Hey!" the man said as Dad looked back at Uncle Tommy.

"Keep drivin', Tommy." Dad said as Uncle Tommy sped up the car again.

"Hey, stop! Stop!" the man shouted as we drove past.

"You ain't seen what I seen. Someone else'll come along." Dad said as I couldn't help but look back.

"We shoulda helped them." Sarah said as I nodded.

"C'mon, Lilly. No need to look back." she said as I returned my focus to the road in front of us.

We soon got to the city but there was a huge traffic jam on 71.

"Oh, this is bad." Uncle Tommy said as he stopped the car.

"Everyone and their damn mother had the same idea." he said as Dad looked at him.

"Well... we could just backtrack and-" Dad said as the guy in front of us got out of his car and threw his hands in the air.

"Hey, what the fuck, man? Let's go!" he yelled as someone in a hospital gown ran out from the trees and attacked him.

I heard screaming as another one got into the car and started attacking the passenger.

"Holy shit." Uncle Tommy said as we all watched in horror.

"Oh my god." Sarah and I added.

"Turn us around. Tommy. Tommy!" Dad said as he turned the car sideways just as the man threw himself up against the glass.

Sarah and I jumped in fear as she put her arms around me.

"I got you, Lilly. I got you." she told me as Uncle Tommy sped off.

"What the fuck just happened? Did you see that?" Dad shouted slightly.

"Yes, I saw it." Uncle Tommy said as Dad pointed.

"Goddamn. Turn here. Turn here." he said as Uncle Tommy did so.

We turned onto the street as people were fleeing and I felt the car slow down.

"Come on, people. Move." Uncle Tommy said to himself as I looked around.

"What are they runnin' from?" I asked but got no reply.

"Get us outta here." Dad said as Uncle Tommy tapped the steering wheel.

"I'm tryin'." Uncle Tommy said as we almost hit a man.

"Oh no." Sarah said as I kept peering back behind us.

Will those things come after us?

"We can't stop here, Tommy." Dad stated as Uncle Tommy gave him a look.

"I can't fuckin' drive through 'em, Joel!" Uncle Tommy shouted at him as Dad glared back.

"Then back up then!" Dad shouted back.

"They're behind me too!" Uncle Tommy yelled as Dad pointed again.

"There. There! There!" he said as Uncle Tommy got going again.

"Hold on!" he said as we got past the obstacle in the road.

"Look out!" Sarah yelled as a car slammed right into us.

I was thrown up against the window as everything went black.


	4. Prologue- Hometown Part Four

"Lilly? Lillian! Wake up, sis!" Sarah's voice said as my eyes opened.

"Sarah?" I asked as I felt something running down the side my head, making my hair stick to my skin.

"Oh, your head's bleedin'. You musta hit it during the crash." she said as I saw her leg.

I was about to say something when I saw the commotion going on and Sarah started shakin' Dad.

"Daddy? Hey. Hey." Sarah said as she shook him.

"Daddy?" I asked as he opened his eyes and started moving.

"What?" he whispered as he saw what was going on.

He gently moved Sarah's arm out of the way as he looked at us.

"Get back, girls. Get back." he told us as we stared at him..

"Look. I'm okay..." he said as he kicked the glass out.

I saw him crawl out of the car and soon heard what sounded like fighting.

"Dad?" we called out as he came back to the broken window.

"I'm here, girls. I'm here. C'mon, give me your hands." he said as he held them out.

We grabbed them as we crawled to him.

"Lillian, baby. Let me see." he said as he started examining my head.

"She cut it on a piece of glass durin' the wreck." Sarah explained as he looked at me.

"Does it hurt?" he asked as I nodded.

"A little, yeah." I told him as he wiped some of the blood off of the side of my face.

"You're gonna be fine, baby." he told me as he wiped some of the blood away.

Sarah tried to walk but hissed in pain.

"What is it?" Dad asked as she put her hands on him for support.

"My leg hurts." she said as he looked down at it.

"How bad?" he questioned as she sighed.

"Pretty bad." she answered as Uncle Tommy rushed over to us.

"We're gonna need to run." Uncle Tommy said as we heard shouting and growling.

"Oh my god." Dad said as he gave his pistol to Uncle Tommy.

"Lillian. You stay close to Uncle Tommy, you hear me?" he said as he picked up Sarah.

"Uh huh!" I said as I grabbed Uncle Tommy's hand.

"C'mon, baby." he told Sarah as he picked her up.

We took off as Uncle Tommy pulled me ahead of Dad and Sarah.

"Uncle Tommy? I'm scared." I told him as someone falls out of a car wreck.

"He's dead!" Uncle Tommy called out as he looked at me.

"You and Sarah are gonna be just fine, sweetheart. I promise." he said as someone got attacked by one of those things.

"Lillian, close your eyes!" Dad shouted as I couldn't do it.

A car drove into a gas station as it exploded.

"Oh my- oh my god.." Sarah cried out as Uncle Tommy pulled me ahead.

"C'mon, honey." he said as I looked up at him.

"T-Those people are on fire." I told him.

"Lillian, keep your eyes on the ground." Uncle Tommy told me as I nodded.

"Okay." he said as I felt more blood running down my face.

"Uncle Tommy, I'm feeling kinda dizzy." I told him as we stopped.

"Over there!" he said as we ran towards it but a pileup prevented us from moving any farther.

"We're gonna get outta this. I promise." Dad said as he looked at me.

"You doin' good, baby?" he asked as I nodded.

"Yeah. I-I'm fine." I told him as another pileup kept us from getting closer to the theater.

"Get back! There's to many of 'em!" Uncle Tommy shouted as he put me behind him.

"This way! Through the alley!" he said as we ran to it and he opened the gate.

"Go on, Lilly." he said as I entered and he held it open.

Dad and Sarah rushed ahead as one of those things tried to get him.

"Daddy! Sarah!" I cried out as Uncle Tommy ran to them.

He kicked it to the ground before shooting it.

"Jesus." Dad said as I ran back to Uncle Tommy and grabbed his hand again.

"Goddamnit. We're almost there. We're almost there, girls." Dad said as I nodded.

"They're gettin' through the fence!" Uncle Tommy shouted as I gasped.

"Keep going! Find a way outta here!" Dad shouted as we continued to run.

"C'mon!" Uncle Tommy said as we started running into a building.

"Lillian! Go to your daddy!" Uncle Tommy ordered as I ran to them and he was blocking the door with his body.

"Go to the highway!" he shouted as we all looked at him.

"What?" Dad asked softly as Uncle Tommy nodded.

"Go- you got Sarah and Lillian! I can outrun 'em!" he shouted as Dad started backing up.

"Uncle Tommy!" Sarah and I said as Dad motioned for me to get in front of him.

"I will meet you there." Dad said as Uncle Tommy nodded.

"Hurry!" he said as we escaped the bar, leaving him behind.

"Lilly, I'm gonna need you to run, alright? Run as fast as you can." he said as I nodded.

"Daddy, we can't leave him." Sarah said as we started running.

"He's gonna be fine." Dad said as we jumped down and I stumbled slightly.

"C'mon!" he said as I ran back in front of them. as we ran down a dirt road.

"We're almost there." he said as we continued to bolt.

"They're gettin' closer." Sarah said as I didn't dare look behind me.

"Dad?" I asked but he didn't answer.

We started up a hill as I saw lights.

We started coming to a stop when a light was flashed in our eyes and loud popping noises killed the things behind us.

I hid behind Dad's legs as he sighed.

"It's okay, girls. We're safe. We're safe." he whispered as he turned his attention to the man in front of us.

"Hey! We need help!" Dad said as he took a step.

"Stop!" the man ordered as we did so.

"Please. It's my daughters. I think her leg is broken and this one's head got cut open." he said as the man continued to aim at us.

"Stop right there!" he ordered as Dad nodded.

"Okay...we're not sick." he said as the man picked up something.

"Got a trio of civilians in the outer perimeter. Please advise." he said as there was a moment of silence.

"Daddy, what about Uncle Tommy?" Sarah asked as I looked up at him.

"We're gonna get you and Lillian back to safety and go back for him. Okay?" Dad asked as we returned our focus on the man in front of us.

"Sir, there's two little girls." he said as that got my attention.

"But.." he said as he sighed.

"Yes sir." he said as he looked back at us and raised his weapon.

"Listen, buddy, we've just been through hell. Okay, we need-" Dad said as even I knew what was about to happen.

"Oh shit." Dad said as he started to turn and I ran towards the trees to my left.

I heard more popping sounds while Dad and Sarah screamed. They rolled down the hill as I ran to Dad.

"Daddy!" I yelled as he grabbed me. He pulled me close to his chest as my blood got on his shirt.

That man got close to us as Dad was trying to put himself over me.

"Please, don't." Dad whispered as I heard a loud bang and the man fell over, dead.

"Uncle Tommy!" I said and that's when I heard crying.

"Oh. no.." Uncle Tommy said and I looked over towards Sarah.

"Sarah!" Dad said as I went to run to them but Uncle Tommy held me back.

"Sar! Sar!" I screamed as Uncle Tommy wouldn't move.

"Lilly. Lillian!" he said as I looked at him.

"Look at me, sweetheart. Keep looking at me." he said as I heard Sarah crying in pain and spotted blood.

He kept on calling her baby girl and told her not to do this.

"Sarah?" I asked softly as I pushed Uncle Tommy's hands away and I saw that she wasn't moving.

"Sar?" I whispered as I saw Dad was crying.

The pain in my head was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"D-Daddy?" I asked as he looked at me, gently putting Sarah's body on the ground.

"L-Lillian.." he said as I ran to him and he hugged me tightly.

Tears poured down my face as I held onto him.

"I got you, Lil Bit. I got you and I'm never letting you go. I promise." he said as I continued to bawl into his shoulder, mourning the loss of my older sister.

That's when I knew the life I had known was gone. Forever.

Nothing would ever be the same again..


	5. Summer- The Quarantine Zone Part One

20 YEARS LATER

"Y'know he's gonna kill us, right?" I asked Tess as she chuckled.

"Us? It's me he's going to kill once he finds out I brought you along." she said as she looked at me

"That might be so, but he'll still wanna kill me for goin' out without him." I replied as she knocked on the door.

We got no reply yet I thought I heard movement coming from the other side.

I knocked on the door but we still got no answer Tess and I looked at each other before both of us started knocking on the door in unison, the sound louder and harder.

"I'm coming." Joel's voice snapped from the room as I smirked.

I heard the door unlocking as it cracked open, revealing his face. He sighed as he fully opened the door, allowing us in.

"How was your morning?" Tess asked as she started pouring herself a drink.

"Want one?" she asked us as I shook my head.

"No, I don't...want one." Joel said as she leaned up against the counter and I sat on a stool.

"I thought I told you to stay here, Lillian." he added as I sighed.

"I can take care of myself, Joel. I'm 28 years old." I told him as we looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, we have some interesting news for you." Tess said, breaking the family tension.

Dad looked at her as I knew we were in for it.

"Where were you two, Tess?" he asked as she brought the glass close to her lips.

"West End district. Hey, we had a drop to make." she said as Dad started walking towards us, a rag in his hand.

"We. We had a drop to make. That means all three of us." he said as Tess gave him a look before snatching the rag from his hands.

"Yeah, well, you wanted to be left alone, remember?" Tess said as she dabbed her face with the rag.

"Besides, I wanted to tag along. Tess needed the company and I didn't wanna wake you." I told him as he wordlessly turned around.

"So, I'll take one guess. The whole deal went south, and the client made off with our pills. Is that about right?" he asked as I scoffed and Tess let out a mocking laugh.

She put the rag down as we reached into our pockets and held the cards up.

"Deal went off without a hitch. Enough ration cards to last us a couple of months - easy." Tess said as I nodded before we threw them on the counter behind us.

"You two wanna explain this?" he said, pointing at his own face.

"We were on our way back here, and we got jumped by a few assholes, alright?" I answered as Joel looked at me then to Tess.

"I kept Lillian from getting hit to much, don't worry. Yeah, they got a few good hits in. But... Look, we managed." she told him as he walked up to her.

"Gimme that." he said as he took the rag from her hands and started cleaning the wound.

"Are these assholes still with us?" he asked as Tess chuckled lightly.

"Now that's funny." she answered as he put the rag down and walked over to me, examining my face.

"Joel, I'm fine." I told him but he continued to clean my wound with another rag he had picked up, his eyes continuing to glance up at the small scar on my head that was hidden by my black hair.

A memory from that night.

"Dad, I'm okay." I said softly as he nodded, putting the rag down.

"Did either of you figure out who they were?" Joel asked as I looked at him. 

"Yeah, look, they were a couple of nobodies-- they don't matter." I told him as Tess nodded and got close to Joel's face. 

"What matters is that Robert fucking sent them." she told him as Joel looked at her, slightly confused.

"Our Robert?" he questioned. 

"He knows we're after 'him." Tess said as Joel headed back to the kitchen. 

"He thinks he's gonna get us first." I added as we followed him.

"That son of a bitch, he's smart." Joel said as he threw the rag down.

"No. He's not smart enough." I said as we stood across from him.

"We know where he's hiding." Tess said as Joel scoffed.

"Like hell you two do." he told us as Tess scoffed.

"Old warehouse in Area 5- can't say for how long though." she said as she walked towards the window.

"Well, I'm ready now. Yeah?" he asked as he motioned me and I walked up next to him.

"Oh, I can do now." Tess said as we walked out of the door.


	6. Summer- The Quarantine Zone Part Two

I followed Joel and Tess outside as I looked around, seeing some birds fly off as a solider patrolled the roof.

"The checkpoint's still open." Tess said as Joel sighed.

"Only got a few hours until curfew." he said as Tess looked at us.

"We better hurry up then." she said as we started walking.

"Wait. Are you serious?" a guy asked as he was talking to a woman near a dumpster.

"I got served the damn papers this morning. I've been selected for outside work duty." she said with a sigh.

"It's such crap. Soldiers are supposed to handle the outside." he said as we passed them by and Tess opened a gate.

"I'll make sure to tell them that." the woman said with a slight laugh as we started walking through an alley.

"That guy had a point, Joel." I told him as he sighed.

"It ain't our concern, Lilly." he said as I nodded.

"I know, I know." I mumbled under my breath as we walked out to the main street.

I looked around at all of the soldiers as an army truck drove down the road.

"Attention. Citizens are required to carry a current ID at all times. Compliance with all city personnel is mandatory." a voice coming from a loudspeaker announced as Joel looked at me.

"Stay close, Lilly." he said as I nodded.

"I am." I responded as we approached Tess.

"Look at that. Ration line hasn't opened yet. Must be low again." she said, saying the last part more quieter.

I watched as some soldiers pushed four people out of a condemned building and onto the street. They were ordered to put their hands on their heads as the people did so. That's when they brought out the scanners.

"Lillian, let's go." Joel said as I held up a finger.

"Hang on." I told him, keeping my eyes on the people.

Please, let there be no infected today.

The first two passed but the third one, a woman, failed. They threw her down on the street before injecting a shot into her back. She squirmed before dying.

"She's down." one said as the fourth one panicked.

He tried to run, but was shot dead.

Right in front of everyone who was out here.

"That good enough for you? Let's go." Joel said, pushing me ahead of him.

"Seems like more people are gettin' infected." I said as Tess nodded.

"I agree, Lilly." she told me as Joel looked at us.

"That just means more people are sneakin' out." he said as we continued on our way.

"S'up, Joel?" a guy said as we were walking by him.

"Nothin'." he said as I scoffed lightly.

"Way to communicate, Dad." I laughed slightly as he rolled his eyes.

"Keep moving." he told me as another couple of people were talking about the Fireflies.

We finally reached the checkpoint as Tess looked at us.

"I got us all new papers. They shouldn't give us any static up there. Just play it cool." she said as Joel and and I scoffed slightly.

We got up to the gate as a guard stopped us.

"Let me see your IDs." he said as Joel nodded.

"Here you go."he said, handing them to the guy.

He looked over them before looking back at us.

"What's your business here?" he questioned.

"Got the day off. Visiting a friend." Joel told him as he nodded.

"Alright, go on through." he said, moving out of the way.

"Thanks." Joel said as we went to go through when the truck that was on the road in front of us suddenly exploded.

The aftermath caused us to cover our heads and stumble back slightly.

"Oh shit." Tess mumbled as Joel and I took a little damage.

"Get out of here! Go!" the guard ordered as we were still disoriented.

"Close it up!" another guard shouted as the gates closed.

"Fireflies!" the first guard yelled as they raised their weapons.

"Fuckin' shoot 'em!" the second one yelled as Tess patted us on the arms.

"Joel, Lillian, come on. Let's get outta here." she said as she turned around and started running.

"Go, go." Joel told me as he put me in front of him, pushing me lightly.

I took off running and Joel was right behind me the whole time.

"Attention. Checkpoint 5 is now closed until further notice. All civilians must clear the surrounding area immediately." The loudspeaker announced as Tess ran to a door.

"Coast is clear, c'mon." she said as we went inside and Joel shut the door.

"Fuck...so much for the easy route." Tess said as I noticed my minor wounds.

"Patch yourselves up, alright?" she asked, holding out two rolls of bandages.

"Thanks." I told her as I wrapped it around my arm before cutting it with my teeth.

"You alright?" Joel asked as I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothin' serious." I responded as Tess started walking ahead.

"They're gonna close all the checkpoints." she sighed before continuing.

"We're gonna have to go around the outside." she finished as Joel looked at her.

"Outside the wall?" he asked as she nodded.

"Or we could just let Robert go." she said as Joel scoffed and I rolled my eyes.

"Cute." we said as we followed Tess down the hall.

"Hey, Tess. You see that shit?" a guy asked, rising from an old lawn chair.

"I was there." Tess answered shortly as he walked beside of her.

"Hey, how's the east tunnel looking?" she asked him as he looked at her.

"It's clear. I just used it. No patrols." he answered as Joel walked up next to me.

"Where you off to?" he wondered as she looked ahead.

"Gonna pay Robert a visit." she told him as he scoffed lightly.

"You too?" he asked as I became confused.

"Who else is lookin' for him?" I joined in on the conversation.

"Uh. Marlene. She's been asking around, trying to find him." he told me as Tess looked at him.

"Marlene? What do the Fireflies need with Robert?" she asked as he shrugged.

"You think she'd tell me?" he said with a slight laugh.

"Well, what did you tell her?" I questioned him.

"The truth. I got no idea where he's hiding." he answered as Tess nodded.

"Good man. Hey, you stay outta trouble, alright? Military's gonna be out in force soon." Tess told him.

"Yeah- see you around." he said, walking away.

Well, that was some interesting news.


	7. Summer- The Quarantine Zone Part Three

"Marlene lookin' for Robert? What do you make of that?" Tess asked Joel.

"I don't like it. We better find Robert before the Fireflies do." Joel said as I nodded.

"Yeah." I agreed as we walked into a room.

"This is us." Tess announced as I looked around.

"Hey, guys. How's it going?" the man on the couch asked as I scoffed lightly.

"Shit's stirring up out there. How we lookin' over here?" she asked as the man leaned forward slightly.

"Ah, it's been quiet. No signs of military or infected." he said, shuffling his feet as empty glass bottles clanked together.

"That's what I like to hear." Tess said as I sighed in slight relief.

So far, so good.

Tess walked over to the big shelf with a TV and other items as she nodded at us.

"Lilly, Joel. Help me with this." she said as I got next to Tess and Joel got on the other side.

We pushed it over to the right, revealing a hidden tunnel.

"Y'all take it easy out there." the man said as we jumped down into the darkness.

"Oh, this place smells." I said, putting a hand under my nose.

"Smells? It reeks. They need to watch what they throw away down here." she said as she turned on the generator and we now had power.

"Let there be light." she commented as we followed her.

"Let's grab our gear." Tess said as we vaulted over the pipe.

"Our backpacks are still here from last time." she said as we reached the workbench and I went over to my bag.

"Not a lot of ammo." I observed, taking my clip out before putting it back in my gun and loading it.

"Well, make your shots count." Tess said as I put my gas mask in my bag and throwing it over my shoulders.

"Got your pistol?" Joel asked as I nodded.

"Yep." I answered as he stopped me from going anywhere.

"Gas mask? All the ammo you still have from last time?" he asked as I sighed.

"Dad, I got everything. Let's go." I told him as he nodded.

"Alright, makin' sure." he told me as Tess shook her head, amused.

"C'mon, Texas. Boost me up." she told Joel as he went over to the wall and got into position.

"You ready?" she asked as he nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." he responded as he boosted her up.

"Alright, Lilly. You're up." Joel said as I nodded.

"C'mon on up, Little Tex." Tess taunted as I smirked.

"Couldn't you have came up with a little something more creative than Little Texas. I ain't little, I'm a grown woman." I told her as Joel boosted me up as well.

"Perhaps, but you are just like your father." she said as I scoffed.

"Yeah, right." Joel and I both said as I scowled slightly.

"Not helping, Dad." I said as Tess laughed, holding out her arm.

"C'mon." she told Joel as he jumped up and she pulled him up with only one arm.

We walked ahead a little as Joel held up the fallen door covering the hole.

"Go on." he told us as Tess and I slipped out before holding it up.

"Got it." I said as it was Joel's turn to slide through.

Once he was out, we carefully and gently put the door back in place.

"Be careful." he told Tess as she was heading for the door.

"When am I not?" she responded as he laughed faintly.

"That a trick question? You're 'bout as careful as Lillian." he said as I pointed at him.

"I resent that." I told him as he shook his head and we followed Tess outside.

"Ain't been out here in a while." Joel said as I smelled the air.

"It's like we're on a date." Tess said as I shook my head.

"Well, I'm the romantic type." Joel said as I made a face at him.

"You've got your ways." Tess said as I covered my ears.

"Can we stop now? Please? It's gettin' kinda weird." I said as they went quiet.

"Where's the ladder?" I asked, looking around.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere." Joel said as we started searching in the grass and debris.

"Got it." Joel answered as I looked over to where he was.

"Great. Bring it over." Tess said as we waited for him to come over with the ladder.

He eventually made it over to us and placed the ladder down.

"Ladies first." Joel said, motioning at us.

Tess scoffed as she started up the ladder.

"Lady? You must be thinking of someone else." she said as she reached the top.

"It's all relative." he told her, laughing slightly.

"Thanks, Joel." I said as I made it up to the top.

"This way." Tess instructed as we followed her to the next area.

I went into the abandoned kitchen and started scavenging.

"Hey, found some parts." I mumbled to myself as I put them in my bag.

I walked into the next room and picked up a Firefly pendant.

"Huh. Wonder why they left you behind?" I asked it as I also placed the item in my bag.

"Lillian, you okay?" Joel called out as I zipped up my bag.

"I'm fine! Just scavenging!" I told him as I met back up with them.

"Down through here." Tess said as we turned our flashlights on while going down the stairs.

"You think Robert's still got our guns?" I asked the others as we made our way through.

"For his sake...he better." Joel answered as I went quiet.

"Look, once we get our merchandise back, it should be easy to unload." Tess said as I nodded.

"Speaking of merchandise, when's the next shipment due?" I asked as I looked around for anything we could use.

"Well, we're meeting Bill next month, more pills, lots of ammo, supposedly." Tess answered.

"Yeah, well he always shows up with somethin'. Should keep us busy for a while." Joel answered as I went to take a step.

"Hold up. Spores." Tess told me as Joel pulled me back by my backpack.

We put our gas masks on as Joel looked at me.

"Got it?" he asked as I nodded.

"I'm good." I told him as we started walking forwards.

"Where the hell are all these comin' from? Place was clear last time." I told them as it became harder to see clearly.

I hate spores.

"They're coming outta somethin'. Stay alert." Tess told me as Joel looked at me.

"Stay close." he said as I nodded.

"I ain't goin' anywhere." I said as we crouched down and started going through.

"There's our culprit." Joel said as I spotted the body.

"Body's not that old. Better keep your eyes and ears open." Tess said as we stood up.

"We should be able to fit through here." I said, moving the wooden beam.

"Oh, shit." I said as some of the ceiling collapsed and I protected my head.

"Lillian!" Joel said, pulling me back.

"You okay?" Tess asked as I nodded at them.

"Yeah. Damn ceiling's falling apart." I answered as I looked back.

"This way." I told them, moving on ahead

"Be careful." Joel said as we started making our way through the rubble.

"Easy..." I said as a hand suddenly reached out and I heard a cough.

"Lillian!" Joel said as I was pushed ahead and he put me behind him while he had Tess next to him.

"Help...me. My mask broke. Don't...don't leave me to turn. Please." the man told us as we looked at Joel.

"What do you wanna do?" Tess asked as he looked at me.

"You should put him out of his misery, Joel." I said softly as Joel raised his gun and shot the poor soul in the head.

"Poor bastard." Tess said as Joel kept me close.

"From now on, you stay either behind or beside me. No taking the lead. Understand?" he told me as I nodded.

"Crystal." I answered as we walked on.

That's when I heard a noise.

"Up ahead. You hear that?" Tess asked as Joel shushed her before we took cover near the wall

I focused my hearing as I could hear at least three of the infected.

Well, this is gonna be fun.


End file.
